Blind Intervention: Curing the Condition of Non-Replacement

October 1, 2012

We all like to economise. Window coverings are one of the home elements that traditionally get left by the wayside when it comes to keeping them updated. How many times have you walked into someone’s fabulously appointed home and noted some blinds that needed replacing? So why do we hold on to them as long as we do?

Value plays a big part in retaining window coverings longer than we should. Practical home economists want to recoup our investment as we do with other home furnishings. In fact, the more costly an item is the less likely we are to want to replace it as we hold on to that memory of the purchase price for years, while the item get’s older and more worn down. It’s often a family member or friend that may start to comment that the item really could use a replacement before we realise we may have held on to our curtains or window blinds a little too long.

Installation avoidance is another hidden condition that can make people hesitate to replace their window coverings. Without being too funny, if your first self-installation experience was a negative one you are highly unlikely to look forward to the next one. This post-installation traumatic stress can lead to keeping window coverings that we dislike, or ones that really don’t match our updated décor simply because the idea of replacement is bothersome.

Why Replace Your Old Blinds

There are many reasons why you should replace your old blinds and some of them are esthetic while others related to health and air quality.

Window blinds (depending on the type) can absorb particulates from the air over time. No matter how clean or well maintained the home, there will always be debris and other elements in the air that will gather in the fabric or into the porous surfaces of your blinds. Routine cleaning helps to elongate the useful life of your window coverings and also help to maintain a health air quality in the home. However over time, the buildup can create an air quality issue for your family.

A word of caution when considering installing used blinds. While it may save you money to repurpose old blinds, you can never be sure of the manufacturing of those blinds or their country of origin. The UK has high safety standards with regards to the production of household goods. Imported products are not subject to the same manufacturing standards and can present a health risk, particularly for low grade plastic blinds that can emit dangerous CFC’s into the air. If you don’t know precisely where it was made and what it was made out of, think twice before bringing it into your home.

Lastly consider esthetic. Not only are you less likely to be pleased with window blinds that have been in your home for a long time, you are likely ruminating over them. If your eye casts to that window thinking “I really should replace those” every time you pass by, save yourself some worry and invest in new window coverings. We offer a variety of made to measure styles and fabrics that will refresh the look of your home with many affordably options starting at just £19.59.